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Extension Horticulture Team

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FDA investigates multistate outbreak of listeriosis

Posted: September 15, 2011

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health agencies to investigate a multi-state outbreak of listeriosis.
At least 15 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported in Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.
State and local public health officials have interviewed most of the patients and discovered that the majority of them consumed whole cantaloupes, most likely marketed from the Rocky Ford growing region of Colorado.

FDA
investigators along with state health officials are working quickly to
determine where in the supply chain the contamination most likely occurred and
where potentially contaminated product may have been distributed.

Both
FDA and state public health officials have collected product and environmental
samples. Laboratory testing is underway.

Listeriosis
is a rare and serious illness caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria
called Listeria. People who think they might have become ill should consult
their doctor.

A
person with listeriosis usually has fever and muscle aches. Almost everyone who
is diagnosed with listeriosis has "invasive" infection, in which the
bacteria spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

Listeriosis
can be fatal, especially in certain high-risk groups. These groups include
older adults, people with compromised immune systems and certain chronic
medical conditions (such as cancer). In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause
miscarriage, stillbirth, and serious illness or death in newborn babies, though
the mother herself rarely becomes seriously ill.

As
FDA’s investigation continues, the agency will provide updates as warranted.